Edna hires AD, head football coach

Huey Chancellor was named the Edna athletic director/head football coach for 2013-2014.

EDNA - Huey Chancellor and Robert O'Connor coached together for eight seasons at Bellville, Palacios and in New Mexico.

They will work with each other again after Chancellor was named the athletic director and head football at Edna on Monday.

O'Connor, the superintendent of the Edna school district, recommended Chancellor be hired at a special meeting of the board of trustees Monday night, and he received unanimous approval.

Chancellor, 54, comes to Edna from Rockport-Fulton, where he was the athletic director and head football coach for the past three seasons.

Chancellor will replace Mike Pierce, who announced his retirement last month after six years at the school.

"I worked with him years ago, and we have a good relationship," Chancellor said of O'Connor. "I thought that might be a good mix - good community support, a good school system with athletes that compete at a high level."

Chancellor has been a head coach for 22 seasons and has an overall record of 141-107.

He had his most success during his 14 seasons at Bellville, where he compiled a 115-49 record.

He plans to meet with the athletes at Edna on Wednesday and hopes to begin work sometime next week.

"The first thing I want to do with them is to start developing a relationship where they know we're going to hold them accountable," Chancellor said. "This is like the real world, and we're going to run this like a business in the sense where if you're not going to be here, you call in. If you don't call in, you're going to get in trouble. If you don't show up on time, there's going to be consequences."

O'Connor has no doubt the entire athletic program will thrive under Chancellor's direction.

"People talk about wins and losses," O'Connor said. "Wins and losses usually come down to doing the little things right. If you do the little things right, the wins will come. That's what I would say he's probably a picture of. The fact that if we come in there and do the little things right and we've got good kids to put in the mix, then the wins will come."

The board of trustees also approved hiring current Columbus coaches Kirk Collier and Lane O'Connor.

Collier will serve as Chancellor's defensive coordinator.

"I'm just going to try and build on what they've been doing and probably this spring we'll start teaching the offense and defense," Chancellor said. "These kids will start to hear terminology. They are used to hearing a different terminology. We've got to get them in our mindset so we can communicate."

The Cowboys placed fourth in District 14-2A, Division I last season and lost to state champion Cameron Yoe in the bi-district round and finished with a 4-6 record.

Edna will compete in District 14-3A, Division I next season against Industrial, Rice Consolidated, Palacios, Hempstead and Hitchcock.